COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Mississippi State junior outfielder Hunter Renfroe is putting himself in a position to make his childhood dream become a reality.

Like many children growing up in Mississippi, Renfroe went through his childhood years dreaming of playing professional baseball, particularly for the Atlanta Braves. Renfroe and his friends would hit rocks on a gravel road around his hometown of Crystal Springs, Miss., miles south of Jackson, Miss.

For most, the dream of reaching the professional ranks and having success in that arena might seem like a pipe dream, but not for Renfroe. Though there have been plenty of questions about Renfroe's offensive abilities in past campaigns for the Bulldogs, the versatile outfielder is having the type of crusade this spring that has turned himself from a good prospect to one of elite status.

That dream of his never seemed so within reach.

"I'm not sure I've seen a guy like Hunter, who is this type of overall athlete, in college baseball in a long, long time," Mississippi State coach John Cohen said. "The big difference with him is that he's a big, physical guy who can really run. You could also put him behind home plate and he'd be popping 1.8 and 1.9's back there. It's just so rare to see that many tools in one guy.

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